Reaching 50 feels like a milestone that deserves reflection. It’s not just a number; it’s a testament to the experiences, challenges, and learning that have shaped me into who I am today. If you had told my younger self that I would go back to studying at 40, train in hypnotherapy, complete a Level 5 in integrative psychotherapeutic counselling, and spend the next decade diving into specialisms like anxiety, trauma, addiction, eating disorders, and polyvagal theory, I might have laughed. And yet, here I am. Those 3.5 years of training in hypnotherapy and counselling included many hours of practice, case studies and assignments but it was worth it.
Looking back, my journey into psychotherapy has been a series of doors opening, each leading me to another area of curiosity and deep learning. What started as core training in hypnotherapy and counselling became an exploration into Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), NLP, hypnotherapy for childbirth, and trauma recovery. Each new area of study seemed to connect to the last, pulling me further down a rabbit hole of understanding the human mind and healing.
Of course, my path didn’t begin at 40. In my 20s and 30s, I trained in working with children and young people with special needs, which later led me to train in counselling for children and young people and specialist autism training. The more I learned, the more I realised how interconnected all these areas were—trauma, anxiety, neurodivergence, emotional regulation. Supervision became a natural next step, and over the last two years, I’ve trained in both hypnotherapy and counselling supervision, eager to pass on my knowledge to others.
Training is one thing, but the real learning comes from experience—both personal and professional. The clients I’ve worked with have been some of my greatest teachers, showing me resilience, transformation, and the power of healing. Alongside my formal studies, my spiritual journey since 2006 has taken me through psychic work, tarot, mediumship, reiki, crystals, and shamanic healing. My recent trip to India for my 50th birthday, surrounded by such deep spirituality, helped me reflect on everything I have learned and how I can use it to reach a wider audience.
I can honestly say that without my knowledge of hypnotherapy and Reiki, I genuinely believe I would have struggled far more with some of the personal challenges I have faced within my family. It helped to keep me grounded and somehow hover within the eye of the storm. It helped me to face what I was feeling rather than avoid my feelings. I believe this helped me to continue learning over that difficult period, as each month went by I learnt more about myself and my own resilience.
Now, as I step into my 50s, I feel a deep calling to create something lasting. I’ve always said I wanted to write a book, and now, with both personal and professional experience to draw from, I know the time is right. I also want to create courses that blend my knowledge of psychology, trauma, and spiritual healing—helping others on their path to self-discovery and recovery.
This next chapter is about legacy. Not in the sense of leaving something behind, but in building something that continues to help others long after the work is done. If my 40s were about learning, I want my 50s to be about sharing—about taking all that I’ve gathered and using it to make a difference in the lives of others.
Here’s to the next decade. May it be one of purpose, creativity, and impact.